Gold mine’s permit canceled by ruling

Tribunal quashes environmental permit for mine in Baja California Sur

Saturday, March 18, 2017

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A federal tribunal has quashed an environmental permit issued for a controversial gold mine in Baja California Sur.

The tribunal canceled the authorization given by the Environment and Natural Resources Secretariat for the operation of the Los Cardones open-pit mine, which has been criticized by citizens and some politicians for its possible effects on groundwater.

The site of the proposed mine is in the Sierra de Laguna in the municipality of La Paz, and within a buffer zone of the Sierra de Laguna biosphere reserve.

Environment authorities had opposed the project but reversed their position in 2014 after new plans were submitted by the mine’s developer, Desarollos Zapal, a subsidiary of Invecture, a Mexican firm linked to Grupo Salinas.

The mine has estimated reserves of 1.2 million ounces of gold, according to the developer.

Mine opponent Irina Trasviña of Frente Ciudadano, or Citizens’ Movement, said the ruling against the project represented “a national and international precedent that has succeeded in stopping for the fourth time a mining megaproject that threatens our water and consequently our quality of life.”